“Welker makes $2.5 million a year. That’s a great haul until you consider what a worker bee like Welker would make in a baseball uniform. There always has been a crazy salary disparity between America’s pastime (baseball) and America’s obsession (pro football). But it has become so insane that Indianapolis police should be on alert this week. NFL players need to buy drums, stop showering and pitch tents outside Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s time to Occupy the Super Bowl. The can’t-miss slogan: ‘We Are the 100 Percent That Makes Less Than Vernon Wells!’”
“After 11 home games this season, the struggling Pistons (4-18) are averaging 12,619 fans a game, worst in the 30-team National Basketball Association.”
“I immediately contacted Jim Gallagher, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at IMG Worldwide. Gallagher quickly put the rumor to bed. ”There aren’t ANY conversations going on with Lagardère, or any other company or individual for that matter, regarding a purchase of IMG,” said Gallagher.”
“Television contracts and the money generated from media rights fees have become a crucial factor in how baseball teams are run. Along with ticket sales, they are a team’s primary form of income, and in recent years the fees across sports have skyrocketed. The Lerners have never had a say on their arrangement with MASN. Until now.”
“Participants will gain insight into careers in sports through presentations by successful sports executives, including GM’s, front office executives, Scouts, Sports Agents, player personnel, and well known media currently working in football. This event includes networking, information on breaking into the sports industry and advice on advancing your sports business career. College credit available for attending. ”
“Recently, Facebook introduced a few new features that will help someone who wants to use their personal profile for personal branding purposes. If you want to use the world’s most popular social network to promote what you do professionally, here are a few tips to get you started. ”
“Leigh Steinberg calls them ‘checkout days,’ when he would drink vodka from morning until night, often straight from the bottle. Divorced and living alone for the first time, he’d drink while sitting on his balcony overlooking Newport Bay or while in bed, sometimes half-conscious.”
“Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider was today named to the Class of 2012 of Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business, an award from the Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal recognizing the architects and builders of sports.”
In today’s digital world, the “old-school” ways of sourcing, pitching and securing sports sponsorship deals are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Today, individuals, properties and sponsors are leveraging technology to find the right fit and share valuable industry information.
Kris Mathis started SponsorPitch in 2008 to address a core business problem he noticed while starting and working in the sponsorship division of a global marketing and PR agency. Kris represented Fortune 500 clients at Edelman sponsorship consulting division where he made sponsorship buying, activation and renewal decisions for brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Schering-Plough, 20th Century Fox, Wyeth and Siemens.
“CRG Partners lists as its special talents financial advisory work, restructuring and reorganization, and turnaround management — polite descriptions of services needed by companies in distress. The firm’s Web site names a long list of clients, from Kmart to Popeyes Chicken to Sunbeam Products. As of this week, the firm’s client list formally includes the New York Mets.”
“This year’s only labor negotiation will be in the NHL, with the current CBA expiring on Sept. 15. There is way too much at stake for either side to even think about playing chicken, but a work stoppage is still a real possibility. With former MLBPA executive director Don Fehr now leading the NHLPA, owners won’t be able to dictate to the players as they did in the last negotiation.”
As New Year’s Day comes and goes the sports fan is reminded of an interesting truth – the home viewing experience of a sporting event is beginning to outweigh the experience of actually being there. From high definition to 3D to 80 inch screens, anyone can essentially bring the “at the game feel” to home without spending the money on tickets, souvenirs, food and beer. In fact, today the sports organizations are the ones who need to lure fans with gimmicks to draw them in.
FanCam technology is certainly no gimmick, and it is the next big reason why fans will get back to attending sporting events.
Steve is a recent graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Sports Journalism from the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. He is currently working as a marketing and PR intern for Sports Networker.
“But what, exactly, is the assertion behind “overpaid?” Most who say it simply mean that “athletes make too much money,” an understandable opinion. Eight-and-nine-figure paydays for top athletes may be too much for some of our comfort, but as far as being paid more than they’re due … most aren’t.”
“With Emmert’s backing, the N.C.A.A.’s board of directors, composed of college and university presidents agreed to make it permissible for Division I schools to pay their athletes a $2,000 stipend. When I saw Emmert in November, shortly after the new rule went into effect, I told him that the stipend struck me as a form of payment to the players. He visibly stiffened. “If we move toward a pay-for-play model — if we were to convert our student athletes to employees of the university — that would be the death of college athletics,” Emmert retorted. “Then they are subcontractors. Why would you even want them to be students? Why would you care about their graduation rates? Why would you care about their behavior?” No, he insisted, the extra $2,000 was an effort to increase the value of the scholarships, which some studies estimate falls on average about $3,500 short of the full cost of attending college annually.”
“2011 was an intense year for women in sports. While we’re looking forward to more excitement in 2012 (including the Olympics!), let’s also take a look back on this year’s top five most memorable moments in women’s athletics, good and bad.”
“The NBA season tipped off on Christmas day, which meant a return to the spotlight for LeBron James and the Miami Heat. As you probably know, LeBron James generated controversy–not to mention numerous headlines–last season with his decision to publicly jilt the Cleveland Cavaliers in favor of the Miami Heat. In the process, LeBron’s personal brand evolved substantially from a fan favorite, to a villain, to a gradually “rehabbed” image this off-season. There are a number of lessons that are relevant to business owners seeking to build a strong personal brand in 2012. Below are three of the most important.”
“Of course, the owners of the Mets, who have spent the last four months trying to line up 10 or so minority partners, have some long-term upsides to sell: the $20 million would buy 4 percent of a New York City sports franchise that, history instructs, is likely to rise in value over time.”
“For readers of sports business news, 2011 was spent first and foremost following labor negotiations in the NFL. Lawyers and judges involved with the NFL lockout became well-known names among those that consume a steady diet of sports information…So what does the future hold for the sports business industry in 2012? Here are 10 topics to follow.”
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the list of speakers at the 5th World Conference on Women and Sport to take place in Los Angeles, California, from 16-18 February, 2012. Under the theme ‘Together Stronger: the Future of Sport’, the three-day conference will bring together high-level speakers from a variety of backgrounds”
“If you want to be taken seriously as a job candidate, and stand out as someone who really knows what they’re doing, and that you’re plugged in, you need to have a few personal branding tools.”
“Companies that sponsor these games are hoping you’ll be thinking about them when you turn on the TV or walk into the stadium. From pizza and fried chicken to auto parts and insurance, 35 companies jumped in to have their name plastered on this year’s bowl games. But what’s really in it for these businesses, who are shelling out hundreds of thousands of sponsorship dollars?”
“Clearly, the Broncos quarterback is moving the sports needle nationally. But by how much, and who else is doing likewise? To get an answer we sought advice from a number of sources, including those in sports marketing, television and research.”
“As Dan Schwabel has said before, ‘If a resume was the deciding factor in recruitment, there would never be a need for interviews.’ Here are some reasons how your personal brand can get you hired.”
“Come April, Jose Reyes will probably be the first home batter at the new Miami Marlins ballpark, ushering in a promising age for an up-and-coming team. But what of the team and borough he leaves behind?”
“It is important for business owners to find something that makes them stand out in their market — to differentiate themselves from their competition. And that is where personal branding comes into play. Personal branding is a proven method by which business owners can separate themselves from the rest of their market. A strong personal brand positions the business owner as an expert in his or her field — allowing him to attract more business without slashing prices.”
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